Donald Trump on Tiger Woods: 'Great Class in the Way He Answered the Question'

President Donald Trump has praised Tiger Woods for showing “great class,” after the golfing great last week suggested the presidential office had to be respected regardless of personal opinions.

A number of prominent athletes have repeatedly criticized Trump but Woods opted to steer clear of political controversy when asked about the President’s policies last week.

“Well, he’s the president of the United States. You have to respect the office,” the 14-time major winner said on August 26. “No matter who is in the office, you may like, dislike [a] personality or the politics, but we all must respect the office.”

The response was immediately seized upon by Trump, who brought it up during a rally in Indiana last week and then returned to the topic on September 2.

In a series of tweets, the President described his political opponents as “sad” for being angry at Woods’ comments, praising his class instead.

“Tiger Woods showed great class in the way he answered the question about the Office of the Presidency and me,” Trump tweeted.

“Now they say the so-called ‘left’ is angry at him. So sad, but the ‘center & right’ loves Tiger, Kanye, George Foreman, Jim Brown & so many other greats even more.”

In a second tweet he then added:

“The fact is that African/American unemployment is now the lowest in the history of our country.

“Same with Asian, Hispanic and almost every other group. The Democrats have been all talk and no action. My Administration has already produced like no other, and everyone sees it!”

Woods has previously played golf with Trump but he also shared the course with George W.H. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and has always been notoriously reluctant to tie his colors to a political mast.

The 42-year-old spoke at Obama’s inauguration in 2009, when he described Trump’s predecessor as a man who “represents America.”

Since then, Wood’s forays into the political arena have been limited to the point of being almost non-existent.

Aside from politics, the 14-time major winner has more pressing matters on his mind, given he is yet to secure a spot in the Ryder Cup team that will contest the trophy at the end of the month.

Woods is tied for 16th after three rounds at the Dell Technologies Championship in Boston over the weekend, six shots behind leader Abraham Ancer.

The first eight players in the USA Ryder Cup rankings automatically qualify for the tournament but Woods, who is currently 11th, is expected to be one of the four additional players to be selected by U.S. captain Jim Furyk.

Senator Bob Menendez said he was "disappointed, but not surprised, that the Trump administration has failed once again to prioritize our long-term national security interests or stand up for human rights."